The Hazel Dell Metro 14-year-old baseball team is headed to the Babe Ruth World Series.
Hazel Dell beat Mount Vernon 5-4 on Thursday to win the Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament in Lewiston, Idaho.
Jasper Rank’s one-out hit that bounced off the outfield wall drove in Isaiah Rupp with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Rupp, who lead off the seventh with a single, was 2 for 3. Jackson Day was 2 for 3 with a double and RBI, and Sam Lauderdale was 1 for 4 with a double, two RBI and was the winning pitcher.
Thursday morning, Hazel Dell beat Glacier, Mont., 8-6 in the semifinals. Alex Miller pitched 2-plus innings for the win. Andrew Hensley went 3 for 4 with an RBI, and Lowell Dunmire went 2 for 4 with 2 singles, and two RBI.
The team finished the tournament 6-0 and outscored its opponents 69-12.
Hazel Dell advances to the World Series in Pine Bluff, Ark., from Aug. 15-22.
Hazel Dell is the second Clark County team to qualify for a Babe Ruth World Series. Camas-Washougal is headed to the tournament for 13-year-olds Aug. 15-22 in Jamestown, N.Y.
Little League
The Cascade Little League major (ages 11-12) all-stars advanced to the championship game of the Washington state tournament at Woodinville.
Cascade defeated Northwest 4-2 on Thursday.
Details from the game were not reported to The Columbian.
Cascade (3-0) will face either Mercer Island or Northwest at noon Saturday for a berth to the Pacific Northwest regional in San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 9-15. Mercer Island or Northwest would have to beat Cascade twice Saturday to win the state title.
The regional tournament winner advances to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.